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/lit/ - Literature

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18221742 No.18221742 [Reply] [Original]

Why are so many authors polyglots?
Is being at LEAST bilingual necessary for being an author?

>> No.18221755

>>18221742
Writing is the only thing necessary for being an author.

>> No.18221758

Knowing multiple languages allows you to better appreciate its structure. For example German is fucking horrid grammatically, while Dutch isn't. French is pretty bad, but it makes up for it in richness of its vocabulary.
I don't know if everyone is equal when it comes to learning languages but I don't think you need to be a genius for it. The best way to do so is to live in a country that speaks the language you want to learn.

>> No.18222008

mastering different languages boosts linguistic ability

>> No.18222014

>>18221742
>primary trade involves language
>pursues and studies language
think dumb fuck

>> No.18223063

>>18221742
Most of them were born when translations either didn't exist or were dogshit. Reading a translation and reading the original is still not the same, but it was even worse.
They also had way better education back then, Wagner was translating Homer when he was still a child.

>> No.18223080
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18223080

>>18221742
>you begin to master your native tongue by studying another one.

>> No.18223088

>>18221755
/thread. In point of fact, learning another language is harmful and has been shown to diminish metacognative intelligence. The more burdened the brain, the worse the performance. The brain can only hold so much information. There is a reason people like Xi do not learn languages. It is a waste of time and brainpower. Do something more constructive with your life.

>> No.18223120

>>18223063
This. Most of the great authors did not go to anything close to modern schools.

C.S.Lewis' autobiography is the clearest on this. He says himself the secret of his success was academic specialisation from a young age which even the children of said books publication where no longer able to enjoy.

>> No.18223126

>>18223063
Hey guess what. Translations are still shit.

>> No.18223143

>>18221742
>Is being at LEAST bilingual necessary for being an author?
No, it's bad, I feel like I can't speak either language properly.
t. bilingual
>>18221758
>For example German is fucking horrid grammatically, while Dutch isn't.
Wild, dumb take.

>> No.18223176

People who are good at writing in their base language tend to be good at learning different languages as well. Strong use of the same part of the brain or so I've heard. I've always been good at writing English and terrible at learning new languages though so who knows(that might of been cause of bad teachers though).

>> No.18223181

>>18221742
I speak three languages, so this would paint me in a good light, which means that the answer is yes.

>> No.18223197

>>18223176
>though
>though
nah, you're just a retard

>> No.18223285

>>18223088
>learning another language is harmful and has been shown to diminish metacognative intelligence. The more burdened the brain, the worse the performance
???????
Proof?

>> No.18223532
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18223532

>>18223088
Fuck off, chang

>> No.18223668

>>18223088
this person has never once took a linguistics class

>> No.18223670

>>18221742
>People who are into word
>are into different words too

>> No.18225013

>>18223670
:/

>> No.18225052

>>18221742
See: >>18223670
Dont overthink this one, OP.

>> No.18225056

>>18221758
German grammar isn't hard.

>> No.18225516

>>18223088
Cope

>> No.18226166

>>18223080
Based Baudelaire. I wish he translated his poems into English, so there'd be a definitive translation, like with Samuel Beckett.

>> No.18226203

Should I dedicate myself to improving my vocabulary/diction or should I learn a new language? I want to do the latter but I'm afraid I'll stretch my memory too thin and I'll just be a jack of all trades master of none.

What's the fastest approach? I've seen these jehovah's witnesses who can speak fluent and tonally correct mandarin in like 5 months. How do they do it? What resource do CIA operatives going to another country use?

>> No.18226678

>>18226203
the mormon missionaries literally just live there and their sole responsibility is to talk to people all day to convert them. they can become fluent in japanese by the end of their two year missions. desu they just do it the old fashioned way and it seems to work

>> No.18226697

>>18221742
A lot of them got sent to war, or had wars they covered as a journalist, or were academics that were allowed to study abroad, were inspired by authors that wrote in other languages, etc.

>> No.18226755

>>18223088
so much wrong in one post

>> No.18227070

>>18225056
I didn't really mean hard, just restrictive. In the same way Latin is.

>> No.18227076

>>18227070
it's only restrictive to those who don't know it well enough

>> No.18227083

>>18221742
Being polyglot is necessary for having finished a basic education
Burgers are the kindergardeners of the world

>> No.18227448

>>18226203
>How do they do it?
No fapping give them superpowers.

>> No.18227780

>>18221742
It's common knowledge that people in the past studied Latin, but this wasn't done in Latin classes, it was taught under the title of grammar. Learning Latin helped hone the understanding of one's own language. That's an argument in favor of learning another language. However, it's important to point out that if you're an Anglo, you didn't have an environment which instills multilingualism like on continental Europe. Don't conflate education or writing ability with mere circumstance.

>> No.18229313

>>18227448
Good point